Israel Iran war: Did you know that Iran has one of the largest missile and drone arsenals in West Asia? Detailed breakup here

Iran's missile and drone fleet: Iran rained yet another barrage of missiles on Israel on Thursday (June 19) in the ongoing war, in a sign that its arsenal of aerial weapons is far from depleted or destroyed by the Israeli offensive that started on June 3. This is because, probably unknown to many, Iran has one of the largest missile and drone fleets in West Asia. So, what are the capabilities of Iran when it comes to missiles and drones? Here is an overview:

‘Largest ballistic missile arsenal’ in West Asia

Iran knew for years that a direct war with Israel would be mostly fought in the air, as the two countries are separated by vast tracts of territory, including the whole nation of Saudi Arabia. So its war doctrine focused on building aerial defensive and offensive capabilities.
As a result, Iran currently has the ‘largest ballistic missile arsenal’ in West Asia, according to a 2024 report by the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports of May this year pointed out that Iran has possibly achieved uranium enrichment of up to 60 per cent, which is close to weapons-grade, meaning it could eventually develop nuclear warheads for its ballistic missiles.

Can Iran's low-cost drones and missiles tire Israel's expensive air defence systems?

In the current war, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported the use of several types of missiles and drones by Iran, including Shahed drones, Emad, Ghadr, and Kheibar Shekan missiles. Israel claimed it was able to intercept 99 per cent of the drones and most missiles. But there are also reports that Israel's air defence systems like David's Sling, Arrow and Iron Dome could be stretched too thin if the barrage from Iran continues unabated.

Iran has also claimed to have used a ‘hypersonic missile’ to down an Israeli F-35 fighter jet, but the reports are not confirmed.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (IRGCASF) is responsible for developing the Iranian missle and drone arsenal, believed to be the most extensive and diverse in West Asia.

Iran's ballistic missiles can reach Israel

Iran has the largest ballistic missile contingent in the region, numbering over 3,000. Out of these, up to 1,000 are medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) that can reach Israel, which is away by more than 1,000 kilometres.

Medium-range ballistic missiles of Iran, or MRBMs, include Shahab-3/3B with a range of up to 2,100 km and a 700–1,000 kg warhead. Believed to be derived from North Korean Nodong technology, Shahab is the core asset of Iran’s strategic deterrent. Ghadr-110 is an improvised variant of Shahab-3 with 1,800–2,000 km range and 650–1,000 kg warhead. Emad, a precision-guided MRBM with a 1,700 km range and 750 kg warhead, can breach missile defence systems. Kheibar Shekan, with a 1,450 km range and 500 kg warhead, can evade Israel’s Arrow missile defence system, as per Iranian claims. Liquid-propelled Khorramshahr with a 2,000 km range and a 1,800 kg warhead, which can carry multiple warheads, is developed from North Korea's Musudan missile designs.

Fattah, which Iran claims is a hypersonic version of the Kheibar Shekan, has a 1,400 km range, and can fly beyond the speed of Mach 5, but these claims are unverified.

Iran has yet to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles, but the Sejjil MRBM, which has a 2,000 km range, could serve as a prototype for longer-range systems, capable of reaching southeastern Europe.

Iran's short-range ballistic missiles

SRBMs in Iran's arsenal, defined as having less than 1,000 km range, include the Fateh-110 Series. These are road-mobile SRBMs with up to 300 km range and can carry warheads weighing up to 500 kg. Navigated by satellites, these high-accuracy missiles were used extensively by Iran and its proxies. The unguided Zelzal Series SRBMs with ranges of 200–400 km are used mainly for saturation attacks, aimed at overwhelming the enemey's defences.

Iran's cruise missiles

Cruise missiles, which fly closer to the terrain and can evade radars, are another aspect of Iran's air capabilities. The 1,650 km-range Quds (Paveh) cruise missile can carry out high-precision strikes. The Noor,a long-range anti-ship cruise missile derived from the Chinese C-801 missile, has a range of 170 km and can be launched from ground, air, or sea. The short-range (25–120 km) Kowsar anti-ship missile, with design based on Chinese C-701 and C-704, is used for coastal defence.

The anti-ship missile Ra’ad, based on the Chinese HY-2 Silkworm, has a 360 km range. The 50-km range Tondar is an upgraded version of the Chinese C-801 missile, which can be launched from submarines. Fajre Darya, a copycat version of Italy's Sea Killer II, is another missile used in naval warfare, and has a 25 km range.

Iran's drone fleet: from reconnaissance to suicide missions

Iran has reportedly developed and produced more than 200 types of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The Islamic Republic has provided many of these drones to its proxy militias like Hezbollah, Hamas and Houthis. Below are some of the better-known UAVs of Iran:

The Shahed Series (Shahed-129, Shahed-136, Shahed-131 etc) is one of the most versatile in Iran's drone fleet. Their range is up to 2,500 km. The series includes combat UAVs with missile payloads, suicide drones, and jet-propelled variants. Iran has used hundreds of Shahed drones in the June 2025 counteroffensive as well as the April 2024 attack against Israel.

The Ababil Series (Ababil-5, Ababil-T, Ababil-3), used for both combat and reconnaissance, have been used by Iran as well as its proxies like the Houthis.

The Karrar drone has a 1,000 km range and can carry rockets, bombs and interceptor missiles. Another long-range drone with a 2,000 km range can be armed with missiles and endure for up to 10 hours. The 2,000-km range Gaza drone, reportedly capable of carrying 13 bombs, can last for 35 hours.

Hamaseh is a medium-range drone that can carry air-to-ground missiles for precision strikes. The suicide and anti-radar drone Arash is used for targeting air defence systems. Raad 85 is yet another loitering munition used in kamikaze missions. The H-110 Sarir drone can carry air-to-air missiles and intercept aerial targets.

The maritime drones Pelican-2, Sepeher, Shahab-2, and Hodhod-4 are used for maritime surveillance and attack. The lightweight reconnaissance drone Sabokbal, the wide-body drone Khodkar and the reconnaissance drone Meraj are also noteworthy.

Iran still has a formidable air arsenal despite losses

Israeli strikes this month may have caused some dents, but Iran still possesses a formidable arsenal. It is estimated that some of its SRBMs can strike US bases in the region: in Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Its missiles and drones are already in the hands of Iranian proxies in the region, thus acting as force multipliers.